Audit Gives China Green Light To Process U.S. Chicken

[DonRocks]

"Audit Gives China Green Light To Process U.S. Chicken" by Bill Tomson and Tarini Parti on Politico.com

[MsDiPesto]

If I understand the article correctly (and I'm on lots of drugs these days due to recent hip surgery, and more to come), at first, the US will send chickens, they'll be processed in these new plants, and shipped back to the U.S.?

I'm not sure why, other than an attempt at trade equality (we must owe China a ton of money), there is a need for this?

We don't have enough processing plants? Enough people desperate enough to take those awful jobs?

[mdt]

I wonder if it will be well marked in the stores. I assume that these birds will be priced on the cheap side. Buyer beware!

[DrXmus]

I wonder if it will be well marked in the stores. I assume that these birds will be priced on the cheap side. Buyer beware!

Agreed. I want to know if chicken I'm buying has been in China...ever. Even if it's US chicken that is processed there and returns (this can't be feasible, can it?) I won't trust that some chemical hasn't been applied on their end that will wreak havoc with my physiology.

[porcupine]

It's just getting easier and easier to go vegetarian.

[saf]

It's just getting easier and easier to go vegetarian.

You know, I like meat, but... I am reaching the point where I agree with this.

I buy meat for cooking at home at the farm market, from people I know and can ask about the source and treatment of the animals. I just can't buy meat other ways any more. I don't trust it to be safe.

I have also cut back on where I will eat meat when dining out. I've reached the point where I will order vegetarian food unless the sourcing is clear and I find it acceptable.

But I wonder, is it time to just go veg for simplicity's sake? It would be a LOT easier.

[DonRocks]

But I wonder, is it time to just go veg for simplicity's sake? It would be a LOT easier.

Do you really think it would be easier? I can think of lots of reasons to be a vegetarian, but simplicity has never entered my mind as one of them.

[Barbara]

Do you really think it would be easier? I can think of lots of reasons to be a vegetarian, but simplicity has never entered my mind as one of them.

If your favorite food is a simple roasted sweet potato, then it is very easy. Problem is, you just can't eat it every day without dying of boredom. Still, I buy meat only a few times a year and then only at farmers markets. I'm not happy about buying anything made in China, but with a lot of stuff there is no alternative.  (I was in the market for a spice grinder and found two for the same price. One was made in China and the other in Mexico.  Guess which one I bought?) Still, I balk at eating anything that came from there, if I can help it at all. I just don't trust their practices or their ability to keep things unadulterated.

[lperry]

Do you really think it would be easier? I can think of lots of reasons to be a vegetarian, but simplicity has never entered my mind as one of them.

I'm going to guess that the easy factor is in the understanding of the path by which the food got to the store, and then to your plate.  All produce in the US is labeled "Product of X" so you know the source country.

[saf]

Do you really think it would be easier?

In some ways, no.  (I hate squash. I would probably have to get over that.)

In other way, absolutely. It means you have stepped away from the hardest part of dealing with the concept of factory farming. Yes, there are factory vegetable farms and they are bad for the world. But in my mind, bad meat raising practices are worse because an animal suffers as well as bad farming practices being bad for the world.

I feel way less guilty eating out without thinking about food sources when I am eating vegetables then when I am eating meat.

Also, while I know you can easily get sick from badly handled vegetables, I don't believe you can get mad broccoli disease.

[Fishinnards]

Does it really matter if the meat is processed here or in China? Our government is working hard to duplicate the "success" of meat inspection programs in other countries. From today's paper: USDA pilot program fails to stop contaminated meat
 

[porcupine]

Does it really matter if the meat is processed here or in China? Our government is working hard to duplicate the "success" of meat inspection programs in other countries. From today's paper: USDA pilot program fails to stop contaminated meat

from the original article: " According to the audit, at first, China will only be able to process chicken that has been slaughtered in the U.S. or other certified countries."

So the birds are grown in the US, slaughtered in the US, shipped to China for processing, and shipped back to the US for sale.  Right?  Please tell me I'm misunderstanding that.  It's almost as stupid as bottled water.

[monavano]

Oh, I want my chicken to have at least 2K miles on it. Make sure it's been in a nice hot container too, please.

Localschmokal

[Pat]

from the original article: " According to the audit, at first, China will only be able to process chicken that has been slaughtered in the U.S. or other certified countries."

So the birds are grown in the US, slaughtered in the US, shipped to China for processing, and shipped back to the US for sale.  Right?  Please tell me I'm misunderstanding that.  It's almost as stupid as bottled water.

I'd say it's even stupider, since bottled water doesn't degrade (well, at least not until it's been in plastic a long time) and require handling and temperature conditions to be precisely correct through the entire processing phase.  (OK, I guess water can become contaminated through poor handling, but not the same way poultry can.)